Golf tees are known in the art. The typical tee includes a generally horizontal concave ball rest that is connected to an axially aligned shaft or stem that extends downward from the ball rest. Most tees are made from wood; tees that are intended to be used repeatedly can be made from more durable materials, such as plastic.
In addition to the conventional tee described above, U.S. Pat. No. 2,082,811 discloses a tee with a curved blade-like stem or shaft. However, due to the curved nature of the stem, the tee disclosed in the '811 patent is inherently difficult to insert into the ground which makes it difficult to tee up the ball. U.S. Pat. No. 1,781,684 discloses a golf tee whereby the ball rest is disposed at a 90.degree. angle with respect to the stem. The design of the tee disclosed in the '684 patent would require the tee to be fabricated from an inherently strong material such as metal so that the tee could withstand the downward pressure imposed on the ball rest as the ball and tee are pushed downward into the ground. Further, contact between the golf club head and the ball rest of the '684 patent can slow the speed of the club head as it strikes the ball thereby hindering good ball contact. U.S. Pat. No. 1,860,307 discloses a metal golf tee whereby the position of the ball rest with respect to the stem can be adjusted due to the thin metal connection between the ball rest and the stem. Like the '811 and '684 patents, insertion of this tee into the ground would prove difficult, particularly in conditions where the ground is hard or partially frozen. Further, the construction of the clover-leaf ball rest of the '307 patent and the club head would hinder good ball contact. Thus, the conventional tee described above along with the tees disclosed in the '811, '307 and '684 patents all suffer from some common deficiencies. First, they are difficult to insert into the ground. Second, they provide the golfer with no visual alignment assistance. Being properly aligned is a key concept in golf.
Third, depending upon the conditions, a golfer may desire the tee to remain in the ground or be propelled out of the ground upon impact in a reliable direction. None of the tees disclosed in the prior art are intended to be propelled in a single direction. Thus, when the tees are propelled out of the ground upon contact, they are often lost and must be replaced. Fourth, and perhaps more important, none of the above-described tees promote or insist in promoting good contact between the club face and the ball. In fact, interference between the ball rest of the above-described tees and the club head actually hinders good ball contact, club head speed and therefore hinders ball flight. Fifth, none of the tees described above are suitable for use as a ball mark repair tool due to the slender shaft or stem and lack of any hand or finger grip.
Finally, the inventor has found that, as the club head approaches the ball just prior to impact, a flow of air engages the ball and can move the ball in a forward direction or bias the ball in a forward direction because none of the ball rests of the tees known in the art provide a way to effectively channel such air flow around the ball. As a result, the impact between the club head and the ball can be compromised because of this slight forward movement or forward biasing of the ball.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved golf tee which promotes good ball contact, is easy to insert into the ground, provides an optical alignment aid for the golfer, and is either propelled out of the ground in a reliable direction or maintains its position in the ground.